Colletotrichum Species Associated with Citrus: Disease Biology, Global Diversity, Pathogenicity, and Biosecurity Implications

Wang, Weixia; Vaghefi, Niloofar; Ades, Peter K.; Edwards, Jacqueline; Crous, Pedro W.; Taylor, Paul W. J.

doi:10.3390/jof12090687

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Colletotrichum Species Associated with Citrus: Disease Biology, Global Diversity, Pathogenicity, and Biosecurity Implications

by

Weixia Wang

¹,

Niloofar Vaghefi

¹

,

Peter K. Ades

¹,

Jacqueline Edwards

²,

Pedro W. Crous

³

and

Paul W. J. Taylor

^1,*

¹

Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia

²

School of Applied Systems Biology, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3083, Australia

³

Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584 CT Utrecht, The Netherlands

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

J. Fungi 2026, 12(9), 687; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof12090687 (registering DOI)

Submission received: 4 August 2026 / Revised: 7 September 2026 / Accepted: 9 September 2026 / Published: 13 September 2026

(This article belongs to the Section Fungal Evolution, Biodiversity and Systematics)

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Abstract

Citrus is an important fruit crop worldwide and Colletotrichum species are important pathogens of this crop. Colletotrichum species infect a wide range of citrus tissue such as leaves, twigs, flower petals, immature and mature fruit, causing substantial losses in yield, fruit quality, and marketability. This review is a critical assessment of the major Colletotrichum species associated with citrus diseases, their global diversity, distribution, and biosecurity implications. This review also identifies areas in need of further research. Thirty-nine Colletotrichum species have been reported in association with citrus globally. Most Colletotrichum species are plant pathogens, while several are saprobes or exhibit endophytic or latent lifestyles. They also vary in host range, aggressiveness, and environmental adaptation. Several species can infect citrus hosts or tissues beyond those from which they were originally isolated, while some also infect plants from other genera. The nature of infection by Colletotrichum species highlights the need to include non-wound inoculation in bioassays designed to assess the ability of Colletotrichum isolates to penetrate the cuticle and epidermis and cause infection. Accurate identification, pathogenicity testing, and rapid molecular detection are therefore important for disease management, quarantine inspection, and plant biosecurity risk assessment.

Keywords: biosecurity; citrus; Colletotrichum; disease biology; global diversity; pathogenicity

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MDPI and ACS Style

Wang, W.; Vaghefi, N.; Ades, P.K.; Edwards, J.; Crous, P.W.; Taylor, P.W.J. Colletotrichum Species Associated with Citrus: Disease Biology, Global Diversity, Pathogenicity, and Biosecurity Implications. J. Fungi 2026, 12, 687. https://doi.org/10.3390/jof12090687

AMA Style

Wang W, Vaghefi N, Ades PK, Edwards J, Crous PW, Taylor PWJ. Colletotrichum Species Associated with Citrus: Disease Biology, Global Diversity, Pathogenicity, and Biosecurity Implications. Journal of Fungi. 2026; 12(9):687. https://doi.org/10.3390/jof12090687

Chicago/Turabian Style

Wang, Weixia, Niloofar Vaghefi, Peter K. Ades, Jacqueline Edwards, Pedro W. Crous, and Paul W. J. Taylor. 2026. "Colletotrichum Species Associated with Citrus: Disease Biology, Global Diversity, Pathogenicity, and Biosecurity Implications" Journal of Fungi 12, no. 9: 687. https://doi.org/10.3390/jof12090687

APA Style

Wang, W., Vaghefi, N., Ades, P. K., Edwards, J., Crous, P. W., & Taylor, P. W. J. (2026). Colletotrichum Species Associated with Citrus: Disease Biology, Global Diversity, Pathogenicity, and Biosecurity Implications. Journal of Fungi, 12(9), 687. https://doi.org/10.3390/jof12090687

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

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Colletotrichum Species Associated with Citrus: Disease Biology, Global Diversity, Pathogenicity, and Biosecurity Implications

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